The colorful, fast growing, undulating characteristics of soft corals make them an appealing choice among beginners and advanced hobbyist. From the expensive “Bounce” mushroom to the captivating pulsing Xenia, there is a wide variety of soft corals to choose from that will soon spread throughout your tank.
You can frag any soft coral that is healthy and they will readily frag themselves. Soft corals grow so well, you probably need to frag them before they overtake another coral.
First, start by soaking your frag mounts; then, cut using coral cutters around the base of the coral including some rock with it. The rock gives you a solid base to glue the coral to the plug; otherwise, the coral would slime off the glue.
Next, dry off the bottom of the coral and the frag plug; this allows the glue to hold. Add a couple dabs of glue and secure your coral in place; hold it for a few seconds if needed.
Replace your coral back into the tank in low flow so the glue can finish curing. The coral will most likely secrete a mucus in which you need to baste it off.
If you are gluing a coral that has not fragged itself, cut the desired piece of coral with coral cutters. Next, place the coral in crushed coral or shells in low flow and allow itself to attach; after it has attached to a solid surface, you can then glue the frag using the steps above.
The alternative method is to rubber band the loose frag onto a small rock. Wrap the rubber band tight enough so it keeps the coral in place but loose enough that it does not cut into the coral’s tissue.
Your soft coral will soon expand itself to look just as if you had never fragged it. Because soft coral is so hardy, it is a great coral to begin fragging; now you know how to frag soft coral using glue or a rubber band and are ready to get started!
